Lankan ship in collision: One dead

One crew member was missing yesterday after a rice-laden Sri Lankan cargo ship collided with another vessel and sank off Bangladesh`s southeastern coast, a port official said.

Sixteen crew members were rescued.

Chittagong Port radio control center official Nurul Islam said the M.V. Badulu Valley started sinking after an empty cargo vessel rammed its side in the Bay of Bengal.

Rescuers plucked 16 crew members of the Badulu Valley from the sea, and were looking for another still missing.

The rescued crew, who are mostly from Sri Lanka and Myanmar, were recovering at a local hospital, shipping agent Saiful Ahmed said.

Authorities, meanwhile, were waiting for low tide to locate and salvage the sunken ship, which is believed to have developed a major crack in its side, Islam said.

The Badulu Valley was waiting for clearance to unload when it was hit by the Panamanian-flagged M.V. Hun Geu, which was sailing out to sea.